


The portrait

by NoonoosKitchen



Series: Akekitaake appetizers [8]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Light Angst, M/M, angry Gowo, pre-Madarame Palace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:48:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27009847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoonoosKitchen/pseuds/NoonoosKitchen
Summary: He has a lot of things on his mind. Far too many. He doesn't have time to worry about another person, not now, not right now.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kitagawa Yusuke
Series: Akekitaake appetizers [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1720816
Comments: 7
Kudos: 23





	The portrait

With tired, heavy steps, Black Mask slowly walks to the exit of the gaudy museum. This concludes his final round of the monthly reminders Shido wants him to perform on his “patrons”. It’s nothing difficult really, just a friendly chat to make sure none of them dare think about opposing the future Prime Minister. The problem resides in that, with age, the senile artist turned into a bit of a paranoid, so he always has trouble reaching him for their meeting, having to fight unyielding guards and silly little traps. So irritating… Could nothing in his life be easy for once?

Now that he’s out of sight of any Shadow, he feels comfortable enough to remove the heavy and suffocating helmet that helps him hide his identity. To be completely safe, he looks to either side to ensure he is totally alone before he does it. When he looks to his left though, he sees something that catches his attention enough to interrupt him. That big canvas, almost as large as the wall itself, sitting in one of the most visible spots of the gallery, forces him to observe the pitiful human displayed on it.

As he takes the helmet off, he walks to stand in front of the portrait. With how big it is, it’s impossible to miss. It’s easy to tell the importance of this piece compared to the others, not just by his size, but also for the details. The colours are vibrant, placed with care and methodical strokes, unlike the sloppy splashes of paint the rest of the museum's collection has. This is Madarame's greatest piece, his most impressive work.

The boy depicted on it has his hands laced in front of him in a very non-threatening position, and still with that small curl of the lips, he looks sad. Tragic, melancholic. Even in the illusionary painting of his master, he keeps looking as miserable as he is in real life.

This is not the first time he’s examined the painting. He’s always felt somewhat attracted to it, for some reason feeling his own person reflected on the canvas. It’s undeniable how much alike they are, how much of the same pain they share. Yet they stand in very different positions in the present. While he decided to shatter his reality with the pure force of his rage, Madarame’s star pupil decided to keep quiet like an obedient little pet, letting the cruel man who stole his life away walk all over him and drain him of everything he has.

This is stupid. He should rebel, break, destroy all this distress around him. Why doesn’t he? Why? Why doesn’t he escape, doesn’t scream? Why does he just drown in his own sadness, why does he accept this? Nothing will come of behaving, of doing what he's told, no one will ever care for him. So why? Why?

Feeling a sudden urge of wrath overtaking him, he grips his jagged, crimson-blood dyed blade and drags it across the canvas, leaving a clear, long slash across it. He tells himself his anger is directed at the submissive boy, but deep down he knows he is wrong. He wasn't attacking him, but the softest part of himself that made him empathize with the other.

With an irritated huff, he puts on the helmet again and leaves the building in a rush. He can’t lose time thinking about others now, he has his own goals to achieve.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading <3
> 
> [ twitter ](https://twitter.com/nature_check)


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